If you’ve been around the blog here for any amount of time, you’ll know that I do a lot of commenting. I’ve also recently written about how to find a lot of blogs to comment on and also about how to get 100 comments on a post.
I’ve mentioned that if I’ve got my mind set on it, I can read and comment on 20 blogs in an hour. A lot of readers either expressed their incredulity at this number or implied that the comments I was leaving were sub-par.
To address these concerns, this post explains how to leave quality comments quickly.
For the sake of argument here, let’s just assume that you believe commenting to be a valuable thing to do for traffic, backlink, and networking purposes. Whether or not it is could be a whole new series of posts, but let’s assume we’re all on the same page here. Let’s assume that you WANT to comment, but don’t do it as often or quickly as you’d like.
[Also, this is a very text-heavy blog post, so be prepared.]
ALL comments are appreciated
First let’s set a few things straight. I’ve gotten a few comments on my recent posts that said something to the effect of, “If I can’t add value to a post, I won’t comment.” I think this is the wrong mindset to be in.
When’s the last time YOU cared about whether every comment you got added some valuable information to your blog post? The odds are really good that you just want comments! They don’t have to be profound or anything, you just want more of them.
Now I’m not talking about “Great post!” comments or spam comments. Everyone hates those. But I think it’s safe to say that as long as it’s a real comment from a real person, you don’t care too much about whether a comment is earth-shattering. Of course we all want the comments on our blogs to be as awesome as possible. But more than that, I think we just want comments!
And finally, realize that adding a valuable comment does not always mean adding something new to the discussion. Every comment is valuable because it buoys up the self esteem and confidence of the blogger. A comment is quantifiable encouragement.
You ALWAYS have something to say
I’ve heard some people say that they have nothing to say after reading a post, so they don’t bother commenting. It’s not that they don’t have anything of value to say (as we just talked about), it’s that they don’t have anything to say, valuable or not.
That is 100% total crap.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a blog post that I could never add a comment to. And if that’s the case for me (I have no special commenting superpowers or anything), it can be the case for you.
If you’re stumped, try this
Now, hopefully you read a post and you’ve got something to say about it. That makes commenting easy, right? You just say what’s on your mind.
But if you can’t think of anything to write in your comment, ask yourself (and write your answers to) one or more of the following questions:
- Did you like the post? Why or why not?
- Did you agree with the stance taken? How does your opinion differ from the one stated?
- Have you had personal experiences that prove or refute what the author said?
- Is there something the author left out that you can add?
I don’t believe there’s anyone out there who wouldn’t be able to write something after asking himself or herself the above questions.
Is that still too much?
At the very least, a post should contain the elements of the patented 4-step super fast comment model:
- Say whether you liked the post or not (and use the person’s name!).
- Say what you liked or didn’t like (see the next section for more on this).
- Say why you liked or didn’t like it.
- Thank the blogger and wish him/her well.
Anyone can do that, even if the post is horrendous.
Here’s an example, with the 4 different points marked:
(1) I really enjoyed this post, Ron!
(2) I like what you said about limiting yourself to no more than 15 minutes of Twitter every day. (3) Just like you said, there’s a point where too much networking can start to eat into the time you can spend creating quality content. What good are 10,000 Twitter followers if your blog sucks? They might come to your blog once but they’ll never go back.
(4) Thanks for the great post, and I hope you have an awesome weekend!
Now that’s not an extraordinary comment. It’s not going to change anyone’s life (how many do?). But I would be perfectly happy with that kind of comment on my blog. It’s an average good comment. It’s honest, it’s encouraging, and it’s thoughtful.
It also took me about 30 seconds to write, and that’s with coming up with a hypothetical blog post that I haven’t read.
Ideally, you’ll leave a comment that has more substance to it than that, but remember that this is the last resort that we’re talking about here. This is if you can’t think of anything to say and if the questions in the above section don’t do it for you.
I use the 4-step comment model for almost every single comment I write. I just add other things to it, too, as needed. Once you get used to writing comments like this, it takes you barely any time to write them because you know exactly what kinds of things to write about. You essentially only have to fill in the blanks and add some more meat to the bone.
My commenting secret weapon
I have a trick up my sleeve when it comes to commenting. I always have a Notepad (.txt) document open as I read other blogs. Whenever I come across a particularly interesting phrase (whether it’s something I like or something I believe is wrong), I copy it and paste it into the .txt document so that I don’t forget about it. I also type in really quick any other thoughts that come to me.
When I finish a post and am ready to comment, I copy everything from the .txt document and paste it into the comment form. Bam. There’s an instant comment that’s mostly ready to go, and it barely took me any more time than just reading the post. Slap some quotes around the parts of the post that you want to comment on, expound on your jotted down ideas with another couple sentences, and submit that sucker.
This is a great method because I tend to forget what I wanted to comment on by the end of a long post. By partially recording your thoughts as they come to you, you don’t have to waste any time trying to remember what it was you wanted to write about.
Final words
I hope this helped someone out there. And I hope you realize that I’m not advocating not reading a blog post or spamming blogs with comments. And I’m not saying that you should make all of your comments the same. I’m saying that if there are times when you want to comment on a LOT of blogs, these techniques will save you time and save your brain from malfunctioning.
And even if you don’t do anything that I’ve mentioned in this post, just get out and comment more! The more you comment (regardless of how you go about doing it), the better and faster at it you’ll be.
So go try this out! After you leave a comment on this post, go read one of my posts you haven’t read before and see how long it takes you to leave a comment using the above methods. Or go out on your own commenting spree. Find out what works well for you and keep at it.
- Are you a fast commenter or slow commenter? Or does it depend?
- Have you found that your comments seem to follow a sort of outline or pattern? Share it!
- When you’re in a hurry, how long does it take you to read a post and leave a comment?
I’ve recently started MakeMoneyBlogging.net. You should check it out and contribute if you feel so inclined. And in addition to the Mentions page here on Blogging Bookshelf, I’ve added a “4 Most Recent Mentions!” widget in the sidebar :) Also, I updated the Blog Directory with 20-ish more blogs.
{ 193 comments… read them below or add one }
Now that’s what i call a super awesome post. Really you did you explained it very well and i’m totally agree with you.
This post really going to help me as i’ve started going commenting again. Actually i’m a fast type of commenter. When i first started blogging i did a lot of commenting but that i didn’t focus on the comment quality.
Now i’ve started commenting again with quality.
One of the great example of this is Ryan Biddulph, one of the most active guy in blogosphere. He is very very active in doing blog commenting.
Anyways, Thanks for sharing this great Post Dude.
A super awesome post, huh? Nice! I’ll take it :)
You’re right, Ryan is a great commenter! The guy’s a stud, and he definitely understands the value of commenting.
Thanks for the kind words, Devesh!
asdadsa
That’s a great tip. We at tastyplex.com are an online food ordering platform to connect restaurants and their customers in Mumbai. We provide online ordering for home delivery or office delivery from Mumbai’s best restaurants.
here we go again Tristan! i tend to use Notepad a lot as well for drafts, comments, etc. aside from the resources/tools i talked about in your post “How To Be An Organized Blogger and Get More Done” i failed to mention how useful Notepad is last time.
it’s true we all want to hear comments and we need them as bloggers. but really, as human beings, we all crave for attention. it’s part of our genetic makeup i guess.
thanks for the 4 step model. it would definitely come in handy!
I actually use Notepad a lot, too! I didn’t really use it much until I started blogging seriously, but now I can’t imagine life without it!
Thanks, Ao!
Hi Tristan,
You got me man. I am one of those who think if i cannot add value, i rather don’t comment. You have changed my mindset with this post. I think i am with you on this, “We just want comments”. Unless we turn off the comments, we always welcome comments even if it is a short sentence. Thanks for knocking some senses out of me. Ouch!
And Devesh, you are so right about Ryan Biddulph. Ryan and Patricia are two commenter who have great insight on every post they read. They are really great example of giving quality comments.
Good call on adding Patricia to the list of great commenters, Lye! Both she and Ryan are pros at it.
I think I’d actually prefer no comment to one short sentence… But a TWO-sentence-long comment. Yes please :)
Tristan, I’m with you on this one. I do a lot of commenting (as you know), I very rarely find a blog post that is not worth commenting on, I mean very rare.
There is always something to add, good or bad, insight some controversy, or praise the blogger, doesn’t matter. Add some value, WHY, add what you think you should add. If the blogger doesn’t like it they will remove it.
20 blogs an hour, you slacker. 50 is more like it. (only kidding)
Pete
This comment took 22 seconds to write, well 23 now
LMAO….should all of us start putting in our commenting time? I like it.
This comment took 8 seconds to write :-)
Yes.
BAM! 1 second, suckafool.
50 blogs an hour, eh? 1 minute per post, plus some time spent going between blogs, etc.? Pffff. Come on, Pete, give me a real challenge :)
Your comment that took 22 (oops, 23) seconds to write is a perfect example of the idea behind this post. It’s a great comment, and it took less than 30 seconds to write!
Thanks, buddy.
Hi Tristan,
That one little hint was so good – I have only just found out where the TextEdit app lives on my Mac. Now I’ll bring it out for commenting and every other thing I do on the web. That tip alone has saved me many future hours. Now how to spend those saved hours ? Commenting I guess!
It’s good to know that even experienced bloggers need buoying up….that makes them more approachable.
Now if someone could show me how to make Skype more user-friendly on a Mac I’d do double comments.
Thanks again,
Julia
Hi Julia…I use Skype on my mac…A LOT. Also, Im a recovering windows user so I know the pain lol Let me know if I can help.
Glad to hear the tip was useful, Julia! It really has helped me out a lot, so I’m glad you saw the value in it, too.
Yeah, I’m not a Mac guy, so… You should definitely take Dino up on his offer.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, and good luck with all of your future commenting!
I’ve found too that while a comment might not spring to mind instantly I can always fire up my feed reader and come back and comment later.
Yay technology!
Robert, I actually don’t read any blogs using a feed reader (I know, I know…), but that is actually a pretty good reason to do it.
I remember a few weeks back (or maybe a month ago?), Steve from stevescottsite.com posted a pdf that was just a list of Copyblogger’s last few hundred headlines. He said he uses it to get headline ideas, too.
Hi Tristan
I am much slower at commenting than you but I bet with a bit of practice and your handy txt file tip I could certainly speed things up more.
Thanks for sharing more great information on blogging, learning a ton from you, all for free which is great!
Alex
Thanks, Alex! All of my info about blogging will always be free (subject to change, of course!). I plan to monetize the site by selling tutorials about software, etc. So yeah, I’m glad you like my stuff and are learning from it!
Hi Tristan,
I am a bit slower when it comes to commenting. However, 20 comments per hour is not too much for me and I have done more in the past.
But recently, I have started focusing on other promotional methods because I have less time left after studies! :(
I hear ya, Ishan. Commenting is a very time-intensive thing. And 20 per hours is just about my limit… I don’t think I can go any faster than that!
Thanks as always for the comment, buddy.
Thanks for the useful tips here for speeding up this sometimes painful, but necessary, blogger’s task Tristan. Nice series you have going here! Here’s a question though …. putting aside the inherent linking value of commenting, in your opinion what aspect of a good comment will draw people to visit your blog (i.e. direct traffic form your comment)?
Have a great day my friend,
Scott
For me…as I scrawl down the comment list and give a cursory scan of all comments, what Im looking for are these things in no particular order of importance:
1. Familiar faces – Im looking for people I know and love, people Ive seen before, and I usually read their comments just to see what headspace they are in today
2. LinkLuv- I look for the commenter’s latest post. Does the subject and the headline interest me? If it does, I will visit their blog.
3. Really really fascinating comment.
hope that helps
Hmmm… Good question, Scott. I think all of Dino’s tips are good ones. I’d say that I click most on the CommentLuv links to posts that look interesting.
Dino said that he clicks on familiar faces… I click on UNfamiliar faces! Well, especially if they’re familiar by sight but I’ve never actually been to their blog before. That’s one reason why it’s good to comment on a ton of blogs; it gets your face out there!
Also, I tend NOT to click on people’s names if they don’t have a gravatar pic of themselves. I figure that if they can’t be bothered to upload a pic of themselves, they’re not THAT interested in getting to know people online, and I’m not interested in getting to know them.
I notice that your gravatar is a photo of a house… Why not change it to the photo that you’ve got on your About page? You look like a nice, normal guy, and I’d rather talk to you than a house :) That’s just how I personally feel, though I know other bloggers have said the same thing.
And also, yeah, a really good comment will make me click through to someone’s blog (though I don’t always read all of the other comments). An especially long comment will stop to make me take a look, too.
Hope that helped! Thanks for the comment and great question!
I was searching Google for something totally different, but found this page and i’m glad i did, thank you, good read.
This looks like a spam comment, and I’ll delete it within a day or so if you don’t come back to leave a more unique, valuable comment.
Hi Tristan,
Good suggestions there, I also try and spread my post count out, cause if Google see’s too many backlinks too quickly and this includes commenting it can raise some alarm bells, well at least if its kept consistent its ok.
Have a great day,
Dan
Thanks, Dan. I actually thought about this when I commented on 104 comments in a day. I’ve commented on 50 blogs in a day on a few different occasions, and I regularly comment on 5-20 blogs a day. I don’t think a spike of 104 is too many, do you?
Hi Tristan,
I also take notes when I’m reading a long blog post, sometimes on a scrap of paper or else in the comment field. Otherwise I might forget what struck a chord with me or forget what I want to say, especially at 5:54am like now!
BTW, what does this mean that the minute I turn on my computer, I figure out if it’s M, W, or F and immediately go to Tristan’s blog to read his post??
But one thing I want to add is I have to be in the mood to read posts and comment. Sometimes I’ll start reading a long blog post (not yours) and then just close it up and come back at another time because I’m just not all there.
Thanks,
Peggy
You’re a brave soul for reading blog posts at 5:54 am, Peggy!
What does it mean if it’s M, W, or F and that you immediately come here? It means that 1) you’re freaking awesome, and 2) that I need to keep writing good content so that you’ll come back!
And I’m the same way with having to be in the mood to comment. Some days I’ll comment on ZERO blogs. On others I’ll comment on, well, 104!
(And uh… I might or might not have just purchased Traffic Sponge at the low, low price of $27 through your affiliate link.)
I really enjoyed this post, Ron!
I was sooo tempted to leave it a that but I use the same secret weapon btw…I always copy bits into notepad so I can refer to them or quote the author of the post.
Also, I agree with you about all human-generated comments being valuable…so heres one for ya :-)
Hahaha, thanks for the valuable comment, buddy.
Hey Tristan,
I do most of the things you suggested when making a comment. I realized that not all comments add the value to the post but thanking the author is perfectly fine too.
I use the .txt file when I read a long post with a lot of points. I type my comment as I read so I make a comment on each section (these are 5% of posts but still…). If the author tool the time to write such a long post that thought me something I believe I should do the same with the comment.
Great point, Brankica. I feel the same way… If the author took the time to write a massive post, the least I can do is leave a comment (especially a massive one!).
Thanks for readings this not-quite-massive-but-still-pretty-long post and leaving a great comment :)
Im an ultra speed commenter. I have a Firefox addon called EasyComments which fills the name, email, and site fields on a website.
Very cool, Edwin. Thanks for the tip on the EasyComments add-on. I’ll go check it out!
Edwin
I just added the Easy Comment addon which really does help speed things up. I also use Firefox Coffee Cup for he sites I like to visit.
Tristan
I just limit the amount of time I spend commenting each day. I do like your formula for commenting. Keeping it simple…now that is my style.
Tristan,
I forgot to mention….You might want to add this one to your list.
5. “Hit the Retweet button and other social bookmarking, if you like the post.
1) Hi Tristan, I really enjoyed your post
2) I liked your point about using notepad to keep track of your thoughts.
3) I use notepad mainly to write drafts of my blog posts, but I can totally see how you can make use of it for commenting to be more efficient. It’s just a good idea in general to keep track of your thoughts.
4) Thanks for the great post and have a good day!
PS. I also liked your 4 step commenting formula ;)
YES! Nicely done, Robert! And see? That’s a great comment!
This is funny ’cause sometimes I use your “secret weapon” myself, it’s a very effective and smart way to do it.
it’s true what you say, now that I think about it, you always have something to say, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading the post in first place.
You changed my mind even on the “adding value” thing. It’s indeed true that I am more than happy to get any kind of comment, spam apart of course.
Very enlightening post Tristan, thank you.
Yeah, the secret weapon isn’t that secret, but it’s still useful :)
Thanks, Gabrielle, glad you liked the post!
This is a fantastic commenting plan. I’m impressed that you put so much thought into what – for a lot of people – is a thoughtless activity (and that shows in the quality of comments, unfortunately).
I’m one of those who spends more time writing the comment than I do reading the original post, which makes it not a good use of my time. It’s not that my comments are more meaningful than any others or somehow more profound, but that I just agonize over them. Am I saying the right thing? Is my tone of voice right? Will the blogger somehow be offended by what I’m saying? So I tend to rewrite and reword and even delete and start over again just to make sure I’m saying exactly what I mean to say. What a waste of time!
But you’re right, the more you do it, the better you become. This one only took me about 5 minutes. :)
I think sometimes people over-analyze leaving a comment. It’s not like it’s a big commitment or anything. You just write what you think in your normal tone of voice and it’s over that fast!
Thanks for the comment, Cindy, and good luck with the rest of your commenting endeavors :)
Of course, how could I not leave a comment? Like all bloggers, I really appreciate people who take time to comment—no matter what they say—and I have extreme guilt that I am not always able to return the favor. These ideas definitely helped!
Yup, I’m the same way; it doesn’t really matter what people say. A quick thank you (as long as it’s legit and not spam!) is good enough for me.
Thanks so much for the comment, Ellen!
Tristan, WELL said!
I think some people are just too shy to get their voice out there, and others just don’t realize that any comment can contribute to the discussion as long as it’s genuine.
I love the 4 questions you have outlined. I often ask myself some of the same questions after I read a post, though most of the time I just say what’s on my mind – usually my initial reactions after reading a particular article. Then, I go through the comment and edit it if need be, but usually it doesn’t require that much editing (just a few grammar fixes here and there).
Mostly, I just express my opinions, and that has been working for me so far. Many times, if I have something to say about a certain topic in the article while I’m reading, I’ll also stop mid post and write a short note in the comment box to expand upon when I’m done reading the article (I did a few times here in this comment actually). I hadn’t thought about using notepad to do the same thing. I’ll try it; it will definitely reduce time from scrolling.
I also like your 4-step comment model. I ALWAYS address the author by name (usually in the beginning when I start the comment off with “Hi (name)” or “Love the post (name)!” or “I completely agree (name),” depending on how I plan to begin the comment. I think addressing the author by name impacts the author reading your comment on a more personal level and shows that you care. Plus, it’s just a more friendly approach. The only time that I will not address the author specifically is when there is no author name given (usually in cases where the author is just called “webmaster” or some other generic name).
If you’re absolutely stuck with leaving a comment, you can always go through previous comments left and read what others had to say. That might help inspire your own comment.
As for how fast I comment, I’m generally a slow reader. I like to let the information sink in for a bit as I read, and I rarely ever skim (unless I already know the topic I’m reading pretty well or the post is just too horrendous to read in detail). ;) So, reading and commenting on posts generally take about 10-15 minutes for me. I also like to jot down personal notes in Mind Meister so that I don’t forget certain tid bits of information that may help improve my everyday work routine and business.
Overall, great read!
Christina
Wow, what a great comment, Christina! I think you win the best comment prize for this post :)
I agree that 4 the questions are best used if you can’t think of anything else to say. And hopefully the post was informative/interesting/whatever enough to make it so that you’ve automatically go something to say. But if it’s not, you’ve already invested time into reading the post, so you might as well invest just a bit more time to comment on it, right?
I remember hearing someone say that saying the other person’s name is an important part of flirting. We just love hearing someone else say our name, and I guess that’s the case with blogging, too! Plus, it’s a sign to me that the comment usually isn’t a spam comment.
I like your idea of going back to read through the other comments that have been left if you really can’t think of anything else to say. You could also just reply to one of the other comments, too.
Thanks so much for the great comment, Christina! I hope you’re having a great weekend so far.
Trsitan
I just wanted to let you know that I am offering free 125×125 ads on my site in case you are interested – I know you have posted there and want to extend the offer to you!
let me know!
thanks
chris
Cool, I’m off to check it out now. Thanks Chris!
I am still kind of struggling when it comes to commenting on a lot of blog, although I know why, because I’m too focused on the novel. I keep commenting on a few of the top blogs (one of them is obviously yours). Usually I just read the whole post, then I start the comment. But now, after reading your trick about using notepad while reading, I think I’ll be doing a lot better.
Does it happen that you don’t read the whole blog post before you leave a comment? Sometimes we know after reading 100 words what the blog post is about, and it wouldn’t be a problem leaving a comment (if traffic is all that we’re looking for) a lot sooner than it would be possible if we read the whole blog post :)
Jens, using notepad really has helped me comment faster. It’s a great little trick.
I’d say I read the full post about 90% of the time. Sometimes a post is just so uninteresting that I skim through it or read half of it. But yeah, I usually do read the whole post; leaving a comment without reading the whole post seems a bit too… spammy and mean!
Thanks Jens!
Hi Tristan,
I enjoy your comment break down posts because I enjoy commenting ;)
I gravitate toward being a slow commenter these days but see the need to make your point in a minimal amount of time. Effectiveness is what counts.
Luv your secret weapon. I almost always mention a quote or tidbit to make it known that I read the post and copying and pasting into a text doc saves you loads of time. It also gives your comments a good deal more weight.
As for people who say they don’t have anything to say, I agree with you fully on this one. If you think you don’t simply ask a couple of questions. When answers come to mind put them down in writing. Link up to your blog, use a real name and email address and voila! You just added value to the conversation, established a potential relationship with a fellow blogger and might even gained some link juice too.
Thanks for sharing your insight Tristan.
Exactly, Ryan. Good point with quotes giving comments more “weight.”
A thought came to me as I was reading your comment. It really is the blogger’s responsibility to make the post interesting enough that it’s easy to add comments. And I’ve found that adding specific questions to the end of each post really helps to. That way you minimize any excuses someone has for not commenting.
Thanks, Ryan!
Your line: “Every comment is valuable because it buoys up the self esteem and confidence of the blogger.” says it all in a nutshell. Are you out there? Did you read this? Do you love/hate/want to bear my children? Just give me some feedback.
Analytics gives me numbers that says you’re reading, and reading a lot. But I want to write for you, the audience. So please leave feedback.
Thanks for pointing this issue out Tristan. Great work. Yew ‘da man!
“Do you love/hate/want to bear my children?” Hahaha. That’s awesome, Gib!
I’m glad you liked the post! Thanks so much for taking the time to read it… and to leave a comment :)
I’m definitely the type that may never leave a comment on a blog haha.
For me, there’s a lot that’s going on behind the scenes than just whether I want to have a say on a topic or whether or not I’m able to add value.
Generally speaking, the longer I comment the more passionate I am about a post but it’s also because of one major, underlying reason: I truly hate comments that are subliminally detrimental to a blogger.
I’ve talked about it before but I’d like to bring it up again. Basically, if a post were to receive a TON of comments but did so just because people wanted a backlink or wanted to get their say in – it often has the possibility to obscure the blogger’s perception of great content.
Think about it for a second.
As a blogger, we guage our community interaction by comments. If those comments were created without any real intention other than to gain backlinks or to say hello, it’s very possible that the blogger would then misinterpret the post as being exactly what their community wants and, thus, end up missing out on creating those type of posts that completely go off the grid – in many ways, it sterilizes the blogger.
It’s hard to full explain what I mean but think of it in the sense of “yes men”. If everyone agrees with what you have to say, you’ll keep doing it over and over again despite whether it’s valuable or challenging.
You’ve done a great job here through Tristan. For the sake of argument, I would like to challenge the idea of ‘not having anything to say’ – sometimes the information may be valuable but just doesn’t cull a comment from a person. Thoughts?
Sweeeet comment, Murray!
I can definitely see what you’re talking about, but I don’t think it’s an issue.
You said: “Basically, if a post were to receive a TON of comments but did so just because people wanted a backlink or wanted to get their say in – it often has the possibility to obscure the blogger’s perception of great content.”
Do you really think this is a problem? Rarely will I see a blog with a consistently large number of comments that doesn’t have great content. Sure, there might be a post or two with a lot, but then there will also be posts with far, far fewer.
If a post really is that bad, it won’t get a ton of comments. Plus, there are other key indicators that would bring the blogger back down to reality if he thought his content was great but it wasn’t. For example, if he’s got 100 comments but zero new subscribers for the last week, something is wrong. If none of the commenters are coming back consistently, something is wrong.
“If everyone agrees with what you have to say, you’ll keep doing it over and over again despite whether it’s valuable or challenging.” Again, I just don’t think that this is a sustainable problem.
I dunno, man. I guess there are all kinds of blogs out there, including bad ones that get lots of comments and good ones that get zero comments. But I don’t think a bad blog will consistently get a lot of comments. And if it does… Well, more power to the blogger, I guess!
Not a bad idea but don;t you think this might be an issue for your credibility? No comment is anytime better than a filler comment. Is int it?
Did you actually read the whole post, Harsh, or did you just skim it? Because I never talk about leaving a “filler” comment and I explicitly mention the situations under which I use these techniques and why. I talk about how to leave a GOOD comment, but just how to do it quickly. Just like with everything else, there are ways to comment faster yet still leave quality comments. That’s what this post is about.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with their comment. Whether something is “filler content” or not is in the eyes of the blogger; not the commenter. Just because you consider quick comments that might add no value to a conversation to be OK for your own purposes does not mean it’s OK to other bloggers. Your “quality” sounds quite like other people’s “spam.” Intention matters a lot. And if the intention is just to comment quickly to rack them up, in my book, that’s spam.
I am confused here.
I am sorry but I think this must be your first time running into Tristan.
I have read (literally) hundreds of his comments and have never seen one that even slightly resembled a spam comment.
Spam is when you make a comment without reading.
I have no problem with people not reading my posts, but if you will comment you better read it and make a good point (unless you are commenting on my blog all the time, we communicate and network all the time and I know you are not there just for the link).
So I believe some people here either didn’t read the post or didn’t understand it!
The intention of commenting quickly ins’t “to rack them up,” it’s to make the process more efficient. It’s so that you can get more done. Is adding RSS feeds to Google Reader a black-hat practice because it makes the process of reading blogs more efficient? Of course not.
Do you really not think that saying that you liked (or didn’t) a post and why (or why not) is not valuable? Because that’s what I say to do in this post, if nothing else comes to mind. If that’s the case, then I’m baffled, and I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
You said, “Just because you consider quick comments that might add no value to a conversation to be OK for your own purposes does not mean it’s OK to other bloggers.” True. But then again, since when can you please everyone? I might write what I think is the greatest blog post in the world, and you might think it’s total garbage. One man’s amazing comment might be another’s crappy comment. But judging from having left thousands of comments and judging by the response to this post, I think that you’re in the minority here. Is what I say here OK to all bloggers? No, apparently not. Is it OK to what seems to be the majority of bloggers? Yes. Of course, the majority isn’t always right, but I do speak for the majority of bloggers.
I honestly can’t understand how, if you’ve read the entire post and understand the reasons why I’m talking about this, you could think that what I say here is spam. But hey, regardless, thanks for stopping by and adding your input! I appreciate the comments :)
Dang Tristan, you did it again! I’m blown away by your writing style. I’ve spent a good part of my day today commenting on blogs and I haven’t even reached 20 yet. Guess I’m not the faster reader on earth but will definitely use your tip with the txt doc because like your post, it was so long that I have to go back up and review what I want to comment about. But hey, I’ll take your advice and I’ll get better.
I’m a fairly new visitor to your site so I’m really enjoying your posts. I’m hooked for sure. And I will get better at the blog commenting part. Watch out everyone, here I come!
Thanks Tristan again for your awesome post and great tips.
Adrienne
P.S. Mentioned your blog directory in my most recent post. I told you I was hooked!!!
Wow, thanks, Adrienne!!
My writing style is pretty much exactly how I speak, so I’m glad you like it. And it’s the fastest and easiest way for me to write :)
Good luck with all of your future commenting adventures!
Hey Adrienne darling! I’m like you, I love the tip of having a text doc open because I usually find myself going back to grab something to quote or remember what I was going to reference, etc. so that one little tip Tristan shared will definitely help us save time commenting!
Tristan, I haven’t been to your blog since Blogging Bookshelf but am now remembering loving your writing style so will def be back leaving comments – quickly! :-)
Toodles!
~Kesha
*adds to RSS reader* ;-)
Great post. I just did a post where I mentioned some of my online marketing New Year’s resolutions. Commenting more on others’ blogs was on the list. Great tips!
Sweet! That’s a great resolution, Tony. Good luck with all of your commenting and leaving fast (but great) comments :)
I don’t know many serious bloggers who “just want comments.” I wouldn’t waste my time, or another blogger’s time, leaving comments with absolutely no value. And when people try it on my sites I delete the comment. For example, posting just to say “great post” or that you agree will get the comment rejected. And if people keep it up in an effort to build links using my blog without contributing to the conversation, they risk getting banned altogether. I have to say I’m really disappointed to see that kind of advice given here. If you don’t care enough about the community, stay away and don’t waste their time with BS comments. Either that or hang out with other comment spammers who don’t mind.
Yep, I actually agree 100%, Jean. Did you read the entire post? I said, “Now I’m not talking about “Great post!” comments or spam comments. Everyone hates those. But I think it’s safe to say that as long as it’s a real comment from a real person, you don’t care too much about whether a comment is earth-shattering. Of course we all want the comments on our blogs to be as awesome as possible.”
The techniques here are to help people comment faster, just like there are ways to improve how fast you run or read.
But I do think most serious bloggers “just want comments”… as long as they’re legit comments, which is something that I mention throughout the post. Is that not the case with you?
This was an awesome post, and just what I needed right when I needed it!
I especially like the idea about taking notes while reading a blog. That way I lose no time and can actually streamline the process. This comes in handy when my five month-old starts getting impatient!
Take care, and have a great rest of your week!
Delena
I can’t even imagine how many hours I’ve saved simply from taking notes while reading blog posts. It really does dramatically reduce the amount of time spent trying to comment.
Good luck with your commenting, and thanks for the comment here :)
I’m glad Tristan that you have stated about mentioning the bloggers name as well as thanking him/her for the great post. I use this strategy when I comment on other blogs. Actually, mentioning the bloggers give such blogger a feeling of appreciation. :-)
Yeah Walter, we just love hearing our name, don’t we? What’s that quote… The sweetest word in the English language [or any language, I guess!] is your name?
And not only does it give a blogger a feeling of appreciation, but it goes to show that you’re a real person and not a spamming robot!
Thanks so much for the comment, Walter! I hope your weekend is going well.
Great tip about Notepad. I love all your posts about blog commenting because I really think that this is one of the most effective ways to attract new visitors to your own blog.
I agree, Nica. Commenting is easy and it builds backlinks, relationships, and traffic. Not bad!
Thanks so much for the comment :)
Very good post blogger guy…. Don’t you love those type of comment starts Tristan? I am like you and feel that if you read something you should at least have a tiny bit to say, unless they are simply a rock. The ones I hate the most are the worthless comments that just say “We over at such and such site are discussing the same thing”
The tip for using notepad is a great idea, I sometimes waste a lot of time scrolling back up and to read and find certain aspects of a post to comment on, “DUH” notepad will save me a ton of time. Amazing how something so simple can be overlooked. Thanks for the tips and keep it up.
Blogger guy, huh? Hmmm… Never been called that before. But I’ve been called worse, so I’ll take it :)
Yeah, I’m definitely NOT a fan of spam comments. In fact, I’ve deleted a couple on this post already! I don’t know what they’re thinking… It’s not like we can’t tell it’s a spam comment!
I’m glad you found the Notepad trick useful. Put it to good use and comment on lots of blogs!
Commenting is one of the most important skills a blogger can have. I really mean that. If someone knows how to comment in such a way that it makes the blogger feel great inside then the chances of those two people actually building a true relationship goes up exponentially.
On another note, I freely admit I love getting comments on my blog. Some people act like they don’t need ‘em. I think they’re full of it (unless their last name starts with Godin). Comments make me smile. They let me know people care. Plus they show lurkers that I’ve got a community and therefore I’ve got a clue.
Anyway, I could go on and on about this but suffices to say that I’ve been working hard to network and comment on other blogs for 3 or 4 months now and it has made all the difference in the world.
Always appreciate what you do here T’.
Yup, I agree 100%, Marcus. Commenting is UBER important.
“If someone knows how to comment in such a way that it makes the blogger feel great inside then the chances of those two people actually building a true relationship goes up exponentially.” <<< That’s exactly what you do, so thanks!
I like how you touched on comments as a form of social proof. Would you rather read a blog with 1 comment per post or 100 comments per post? Well… I know I’d rather read the one with 100 comments per post. If 100 other people like the blog, there’s a good chance I will too.
Thanks as always for the great comment, Marcus. I hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
Awesome post Tristan. I think the argument between people not having something to say exists because of how our attitudes have changed. Comments now need to offer something like valuable criticism in order to be recognized. I don’t think most people go jumping with joy when they read a comment that says ‘great post,’ it’s because our expectations have shifted on what a good comment is, and that’s what has left people out on commenting.
Exactly, Peter. “Great post” = worst comment ever, and I’d rather not have a comment than see that. In fact, I’ve already deleted a few comments in this post because they WERE lame like that!
Thanks for the comment and kind words, man. Always appreciated.
That’s a beautiful post, Tristan!
I liked the basic prototype that you provided for times when there is nothing more valuable to say. I’ve seen some people using a similar prototype, but they use it almost all the time and it seems so monotonous that it pisses me off sometimes. But then, hey! at least they are leaving a comment, which makes them much better than those who read the post and never even let you know that there had come around and that (or whether) they found value in your content. So I agree with you that (almost) all legitimate comments are welcome.
Thanks for revealing the secret weapon too. I have done that sometimes, but it didn’t hit me then that I could use it as a regular tool. It certainly adds value to quote an important phrase from the post and mention your opinion about it.
By the way, Here’s wishing you a very Happy and Successful New Year 2011! Thanks for adding value to my site in 2010 through your valuable comments! I made a special mention of you on my site in that regard.
Cheers,
Mark
Wow, I’ve never had a post been called “beautiful” before! Thanks, Mark.
The secret weapon really is a huge time saver, so you should definitely use it more often!
I appreciate the great comment as well as the new year wishes. Have a great rest of your weekend (oh, and a rest of 2011, too).
Great post Tristan!
I have just started integrating a commenting strategy into my daily activities and it has done wonders for my traffic. This is my first time at your site, but I will definitely be returning!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Sean! I’m glad you like the blog here :) I’m pretty sure I’ve been to your blog before, because I’ve added you to my blog directory thing…
And I remember the pictures of mountains on your blog. I’m kind of a mountain junkie. Any idea what the name of the peak is in your left sidebar? I thought it was the Grand Teton at first, but then talked myself out of it…
Thanks for the kind words and the comment, buddy!
It is a range of the Hindukush mountains in Pakistan. I got it from a guy on Flickr. If you search for imramthetrekker he has some awesome pictures out there!
Hey Tristan, I would say I comment at a speed somewhere between fast and slow. I have gotten quicker over the last few months. Right now, I am commenting on posts on topics I enjoy (fitness, nutrition and IM) so really I always have a personal thought or experience to share. Ironically, the way you suggest people structure their comments is really the way mine have naturally been written.
I think the key is trying to read about topics that actually interest you. I have a lil bit of ADD and I CANNOT get through, let alone pay attention long enough to comment on, a post that does not have my interest. I can fly right through them and have 20 done by 11 am (along with a post written) if I’m into what I’m reading.
Brilliant work, as always, my friend. Now go eat a banana.
Hahaha, somewhere between fast and slow, eh? Nice :)
I think you nailed it on the head there, Susan. The key IS reading topics that interest you. But then, I don’t know WHY anyone would want to read anything that’s not interesting to them in the first place… If you’re not interested in IM, then you probably shouldn’t be reading about IM!
Oh, and I’m out of bananas now…
Hi Tristan .. the thing I noticed and thought of about a couple of bloggers who comment – is that the comment they leave may be short – but it’s focused on something within the blogpost.
I used to use Word .. now I can see using Notepad, could be useful! My first notepad comment.
It’s lovely getting comments, even short pertinent ones .. but like you – am not keen on ‘great post’ ones! – but I do thank them, because at least they came by .. I don’t delete it .. but I may not go via their blog too often in the future ..
I do love giving value when I comment ..and when I reply to comments on my own blog ..
Thanks for this and the tips re the .txt!!
Cheers Hilary
Oh Tristan!
You are so dang practical I can’t even stand it anymore. Thanks for always pumping out awesome, relevant, and useful content. Do you sleep?
Marlee, that is one of the best comments I’ve read in a while :D I literally lol’d when I read it.
Meh. I sleep occasionally :)
I find that practical posts are the best because 1) the easiest for me to write, because they’re usually about something that I have first hand experience with, 2) people like them more because they’re actionable and they can actually put into practice what they’ve learned, which makes them feel like their time here has been well spent, and 3) they tend to get shared and commented on more.
You’re right about that, Tristan. I always enjoy comments and never think about the added value of it.
I’m just grateful someone read my posts and I’m always happy to reply. More than that, I encourage readers to send me emails for more questions if they have any.
Thanks for this!
I also love it when my readers email me questions! It’s a sign that they trust you and value your opinion, you know?
I’m glad you liked the post, Constantin, and I appreciate the comment, buddy!
(BIG Grin) I busted out laughing when I read about the Notepad trick… here I thought it was my own dirty little secret to get past having a lousy memory. I find it SO helpful in hitting all the points that resonate with me without having to constantly scroll back up to re-read the comment. That can be a real pain on blogs that have 50 or 60 comments by the time I get there (ahem) ;) .
About the only time I will not leave a comment is when:
A) The subject matter turned out to be SO infuriating or nauseating that I can not think of a “nice” way to share my disagreement. Sometime I go back later, when I’ve had time to think it through better, but generally I don’t go back at all, ever.
B) If the post was SO poorly written that my journalistic spine curls up in a ball at the base of my neck. Obviously this person is cranking out crap in hopes of getting rich through quantity and doesn’t give a hoot about quality. Again, I’m gone.
C) (and I ran into this just this morning) the blog requires me to open an account in order to comment. If the post is really good I may struggle through signing in with an account I have and/or entering squishy letters, but it has to be a really good blog for me to want to go back and do this each time.
OK… reading your post and writing this out took me 12½ minutes. 20 blogs an hour: sprint on speedy, sprint on; I’ll be along… eventually!
Just call me “Turtle” :-)
So sorry you had to wade through all the comments to get to the comment box, Allan :D But I’m glad you made it!
Yeah, I <3 Notepad. I use it every day for a ton of different things.
I *hate* it when I have to open an account in order to leave a comment. I never do it; it’s just not worth it. And it makes me wonder WHY the blog owner is doing that… I assume it’s for spam reasons, but they need to know that there are other ways to deal with spam!
12 1/2 minutes for this post and this comment isn’t bad. I don’t know if you remember, but in that post where I talked about commenting on 100 blogs a day, I mentioned that the last 20 blogs took me 2 1/2 hours because 1) I was tired, but also because 2) there were certain posts that were just super long or that required me to really think hard about what I was reading and about what I wanted to say. Now I don’t know if this post falls into the latter category, but it IS on the long side.
Thanks Allan! I mean… Turtle.
One other thing, Tristan. This occurred to me just now as I was commenting on another blog. I don’t read the other comments on a blog before I post my own. I find that if I do this I tend to find myself thinking, “Oh, well, six other people have said pretty much the same as I wanted to say, so there’s no point in that.” And either I have to sit and ponder it long enough to come up with something more profound – and when I get to that I find another commenter has JUST posted a new comment saying what I just thought up! – or just move on.
This also doesn’t allow others to influence my reaction before I write it down.
I feel this keeps my reaction more genuine. If we end up forming a chorus of agreement on some point or other, that’s great. If some of us express divergent opinions, that’s great too.
Thought I’d share that before I break for lunch.
Thanks again for all the great info!
You know, now that I think of it… I feel the same way. I often do read the comments, but I think they do influence what I write a little bit.
On the other hand, reading comments could give you an idea of what to say if you’re at a loss for words. You could reply to a comment rather than address something in the post.
Thanks again for the great input, Allan. It’s comments like yours that truly do add value to a post, and I always appreciate them.
This is a really great blog! I’m so glad I found it. I will be a regular that’s for certain!
Thanks! Kinsey, in the future, please leave a more specific comment that indicates you read the post and are not a spammer. I’ll be deleting your comment soon unless you leave another one that proves you’re a real person :)
Think someone already mentioned it but easy comment plugin is awesome for some speedy comments. I normally have time for about 10 comments on the bus to and from work and its a time shaving plugin.
Will try the notepad trick…maybe squeeze in 12 a day :p Will also be using your list for inspiration now.
Yeah, I’ll definitely have to check out the easy comment plugin. I can definitely see how that would save time… Especially if you’re commenting on 100 blogs in a day!
Thanks Donace!
Hehe, great article. I consider myself a good commenter, I first read all the article and after that – I leave a comment, it’s really weird to comment at something you didn’t (totally) read. Thanks for the tips on how to comment smart and keep up the good work, Tristan! (haha, got this from your article)
I agree, commenting on something you don’t read… That’s not good, and that’s crossing over into spammy territory.
Thanks for the comment, Latief!
This was a terrible article. It had absolutely no value whatsoever, and I disagree with everything you said.
And just in case you didn’t get the memo that it was opposites day today… Thanks very much for the awesomeness and common sense, once again, mate. I just need to make one tiny change for those of us using real operating systems… replace notepad.exe with emacs (well SXEmacs really). And don’t give me any curry about how bloated it is and takes forever to start, that’s irrelevant because you never shutdown emacs anyway.
P.S. I haven’t decided if I’m a real person or not either… think the jury’s still out on that one
Opposite day, eh? Been hanging around with your kids much? :D
Yeah, you might be using a real operating system… But you’re paying a premium for it, too!
And… I’m about 90% confident that you’re a real person. The jury’s still out, though.
Thanks as always for the great comment, Steve. I hope you’re having a great weekend!
Forgot the timing stats…
Time to read post: 3(ish) days (kept getting sidetracked)
Time to comment: 2(ish) hours (blame the kids for interrupting)
Just remember, Steve… It’s not a race :D I’m glad you could stop by, though, mate.
Tristan – I think the final statement you made when you said just find out what works well for you and keep doing it. If you can comment on 20 blogs in one hour then that’s good. If you can only comment on 10 blogs in one hour then that’s good too.
It’s all about staying true to yourself and doing what feels natural to you. Don’t force anything and just let it flow. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Exactly, John. Consistency really is more important than quantity at any one time. I mean yeah, you can comment on 100 blogs in a day and not do any more for the rest of the week… Or you could comment on 14 blogs a day for the week and get the same results.
Thanks for the great comment, John. As always, your input is much appreciated.
Hey, good post. I’m just now getting started on a new blog and trying to gain some visibility. And while no single tactic is going to up my rankings, I think more commenting on other blogs will start me headed in the right direction.
Also, I think doing a lot of commenting is helpful for your psyche as a blogger — you know, getting you out there and spreading the word — even if it’s just a couple posts at a time.
Thanks for the ideas.
Totally. Commenting is great because it helps you build 1) traffic, 2) backlinks, and 3) relationships with other bloggers. Multiple birds with one stone.
Thanks, brother.
Great post Tristan
* Did you like the post? Why or why not?
I like this post because it has addressed exactly how I feel a lot of the time. I’m not all that creative and often read posts and just go blank and don’t know what to comment about.
* Did you agree with the stance taken? How does your opinion differ from the one stated?
I agree in your theory, I guess some of us don’t always find it as easy to think of comments, but I might adopt this 4 question method to hopefully improve my commenting.
* Have you had personal experiences that prove or refute what the author said?
Yes my mind always goes blank :) I have blank mind syndrome!
* Is there something the author left out that you can add?
Hmmmm, no not really, how can you add anything to such a good post :D
Well… That was easy :D Thanks so much for the kind words and the great comment, Sheryl. It’s nice to be reassured from time to time that I’m not crazy and that my ideas do make sense!
Hi Tristan,
Well that was easy because we did like this post. Why did we like it? Because you expressed enough of the human condition to show care for the person you visited by showing courtesy.
Oh! and thanks for the great tips.
best regards
Allan and Dawn
Thanks for stopping by, Allan and Dawn! I’m so glad you liked the post, and I really appreciate the comment.
Have a great rest of the weekend!
I agree with what you said how everyone has an opinion and being able to say what you think not only is helpful in posting on other people’s blogs but it is great practice for being able to express yourself on your own blog and other written material.
That’s a great point, Rob. You could take those same questions (Do I agree with this? etc.) and turn them into a blog post. That’s the wonderful thing about blogging, isn’t it?
Thanks for the insight and the comment!
Great tip about using notepad. Most often by the time I get down to the comment box I forget what I was going to say, so thank you. I am going to have to try this.
Have a nice weekend!
Linda
Awesome! I’m glad you found it helpful, Linda. Thanks for sharing my blog with Marsha. (She left a comment right below yours.) And thanks for the comment!
Nice job Tristan. Concise, coherent, orderly.
I enjoyed this because it is a question I have had for sometime. Do I, or don’t I? What should it say? You stated that any comment boosts the moral and that was always my thought, yet it is possible to offend and not know it. Now I don’t have to worry about that offense. I have the ability to agree or disagree and leave it at that nicely.
Thanks for sharing this blog. Found it thru my friend Linda (above post)
Marsha, I think you’re not alone in worrying that you might offend a blogger with a comment. A couple other people have expressed the same sentiment in the comments on this post. But I have to say that I’ve never once been offended by a comment. Sure, there are people that have disagreed with me, but I don’t mind in the least. An alternate point of view is never a bad thing, even if it’s in opposition to mine. As long as you don’t personally insult anyone (“Tristan, you look really fat and stupid in your profile picture.” You know, something like that), I think it’s hard to actually offend someone while leaving a comment.
Thanks for the comment, and I’m so glad Linda pointed you in my direction! Be sure to come back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; there’s plenty more where this came from!
Great post, Tristan. Most of the time when I leave a comment I will spend 30 minutes to an hour trying to make it a useful contribution. Like you say, on my own blog I’m just glad to get any non-spammy comments. Thanks.
30 minutes to an hour! Wow! That’s pretty intense, David. I’ve spent that much time on a comment… once or twice.
Thanks so much for the comment, and I actually am glad that you (hopefully?) didn’t spend half an hour on it :)
This comment took 12 seconds. Oops, 13 now, er 14… ;)
And it provided oh so much value :)
Great tips Tristan. I like to do the Notepad thing too with long posts, especially if there’s an interruption or two while reading the post. In fact, I use notepad a lot when filling in more than a sentence in any sort of online form. I have had inspirational stuff just disappear on me when I filled in a captcha incorrectly or some such thing. If its in Notepad then I just copy paste and its all back there.
Michael
I think I actually started using Notepad the same way, Michael! I ended up losing a couple comments for whatever reason, and then started pasting them into Notepad first so I wouldn’t lose ‘em.
Funny how that works :)
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Thank you so much for this post Tristan!
What a killer ninja blogging tip this was! This is the first time I’ve run across your blog but I’m sure I’ll be back for more. I’m a relatively new blogger/on-line commenter so this is a great teaching tip for me.
Thanks again! Looking forward to more!
I’m glad you liked the killer ninja blogging tip, Marc :) It’s great to hear that this is your first time here! Please come back often, as there’s plenty more where this came from!
LOVE that note-taking idea Tristan! I’m totally gonna use that!
Great! Thanks for stopping by, and I’m glad you liked the post :)
I completely agree with your blog, This is the best way to explain it,this is much enough for blog fast as your comment on page.
Sure buddy it’s great idea”I copy it and paste it into the .txt document so that I don’t forget about it. I also type in really quick any other thoughts that come to me.” As you asked the rule of saving time and keeping mind fresh, really very fantastic!
Found your blog from another and your right I’m always so thrilled to get any sort of comment on my blog, but always hesitate to leave a comment unless I think it’s worth it. Good point well made. Thanks
Very useful post, Tristan. I really like the suggestion of having notepad open to copy over items from the post that you want to comment on. I often find myself scrolling back to the top to quote something from the post. I’m not the fastest commenters anyway because I am one of those over-analyzers you mentioned. I think this notepad suggestion will speed up my commenting and allow me to do more of it.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely be back stopping back here.
Great ideas Tristan. Most of the time we all can come up with a few things to say in a comment or suggestion, it’s the people or shall I say the spammers that ruin it for most people.
Great Job!
I agree that commenting does good things on creating a good network and backlinks. Normally, bloggers who comment on the blogs of others will also find others to comment on theirs. It’s also very important to have an opinion or fact that you can share in your comment.
Intersting. I’ve been blogging for about 3 years. and I can’t seem to get enough readers and comments. I tried writing in English my first year then a english and Filipino and I didn’t see any improvements. I’ll try this. Keeping my fingers cross! :D
i really enjoy this post…i definitely love your ways to commenting. As far as i concern, in malaysia blogging just to make people come to visit the blog. they used shout box or cbox to leave their track…and the owner will visit back…but nowadays, they have come out with variety software to make sure they can leave their track without read the blog post..it just not fair to me…I really hate the ways they doing that….
Slightly disagree with your comment that “If I can’t add value to a post, I won’t comment.”. Not so much from the perspective of the poster, but rather the blog owner.
If the blog owner is able to filter out the comments which add nothing to the post, then it’s going to make the comments worth reading, and thus increase the value of his post.
If you have to wade through lots of say-nothing comments, then generally people will give up reading (and, indeed, joining in with) the comments section altogether.
(1) I really enjoyed this post, Tristan!
(2) I disagree though when you said “You ALWAYS have something to say”. (3) Sometimes blog posts are just plain cr*p or adverts in disguise. More often than not, these posts are 150-200 words long, so not much you can take out of them to “gratify” the author.
(4) Thanks for the great post, with plenty of foods for thoughts and I hope you have an awesome week!
—————-
:) You think I should have removed the numbers?
Anyway, I don’t necessarily agree with the “ALWAYS” but it’s true that 90% of the time I can give my honest opinion about what someone has written. And maybe the 10% of blogs I can’t find something to add to should be removed from my feed reader – saving me the time to find new – worthwhile – blogs.
what a post this is? I like it very much. A PERFECT PRESENTATIONS with SIMPLE topic. You are good TEACHER who can easily make understand anyone with any thing and also good Conveicing power.
This interesting, and following your guide I like your post and would certainly be having something to say on others blogs too but I was kind of hoping for a template but not spammy in nature
What about this is spammy in nature?
It takes me lot of time to comment particularly I comment only on posts which I have read fully and which seems to be interested
Leaving comments is always a challenge and it is always tempting to hire one of those companies who promises they will create backliniks for you. But, I don’t give in to the tempatation and stick to the good old fashioned way. However, sometimes I leave a heartfelt comment only to see it wasn’t published and it is on sites that don’t require authorization first. Any thoughts? (I hope this one gets to you) :)
I’ve had the same problem. If I have spent 10-15 min reading and another 5-10 writing it can be frustrating not having it posted. I will email the blog owner and let them know it didn’t go through which takes another 2 minutes. They post it, as it is a win/win.
@Tristan: I believe I am the slow type of commenter, my typing skills are not that great.. yet :)
I also spend a lot of time reading the posts, sometimes even twice, if I like it and I want to remember the content of that post.
Maria
Thanks! I’m always stuck at how to comment on other blogs. Your guiding questions are truly helpful.
Wow ur too fast in commenting. If I had to comment on 100 blogs I will spend a whole day on it. Moreover I have a doubt. U say that u comment on new different blogs. How come you get to know that many blogs. Do u create any big list of blogs before starting to comment
Well being somewhat of a newcomer, I’m still sorting all this out. I guess I desire to become more efficient without sacrificing quality/realness or compromising my standards. I like the thought of being able to view the blog as I’m typing a comment, so I’m going to experiment with a split screen and consider the possibility of using a dual monitor system. Finding blogs that I want to read, comment on and revisit is really time consuming for me. I am slowly building a list but it’s a hit or miss proposition.
Riley
Tristan,
I just reread this post becasue I am involved in a challenge to comment on 140 blogs in 3 days. Yikes!!
I see how well your commenting strategy has worked for you and I’m glad I can can learn a thing or three from you about this.
I love the “questions” you leave at the end of your blog posts. That seems to be a great way to increase your commenting rate, and get your readers interesting in posting something that might be worthwhile to the community. Often I’ll want to comment on a blog post, but just can’t get my thoughts in line enough to post something of worth or value. Thank you!
Wow your posts can really crack me to say something whether I am in a mood to do so or not…
This was an excellent post Tristan! While I enjoyed the techniques for quick commenting, I really appreciated the discussion of what types of comments are welcome. One reads a lot about “quality comments,” but it is nice to see that quality and brevity can work together. Thanks again for a great read!
Hi Tristan
Nice tips here.I think they are very useful.I usually comment on blogs after reading them but your points motivated me even more to do so.I checked my comments and i feel yes they follow a pattern.
Hi Tristan,
Very nice tips .I feel that my comments do follow a pattern.I mean i just looked at the words i use
they are kind of peculiar to my comments.This has motivated me more to write comments.I feel thisa as a unique identity.
Tristan,
I love the secret weapon as I have add minus the meds. When reading a long post I wander off a bit. I will use this in a big way.
By the way, what was this post about again:)
Cool post and the commenting secret weapon is really a simple but useful idea. Thanks for the great post!
Great post. I would consider myself a fast commenter. I usually comment on 30 blogs a day. Takes about an hour & 15 minutes. It’s not the commenting that’s time consuming, it’s reading the posts. So I have tried to finds ways to be more efficient and faster at reading posts and trying not to miss anything relevant. I still find that commenting on 30 blogs a day still only generates around 4 -5 comments for my own blog. It’s alot of work for little reward. But I figured it may pay off in the long run to be consistent and stay the course.
Thanks again for the tips. I am now going to set a goal to comment on 100 blogs, I think I can beat your time. Wish me luck.
(1) I really enjoyed this post, Ron!
Ok seriously,
I find that I can comment on about the same amount of posts in an hour (20) without losing the quality, maybe like you I just aread and type fast…
anyway, the reason I am commenting now though (158 comments in, clearly NOT for the backlink love LOL) is because I too have a system for uber fast commenting, at least when I am doing so for my niche sites.
In this instance I am someone else so quality is not key, speed is – and what I do is this.
Simply choose some random piece of text, copy and paste it into the comment and then add “I really liked or Can you expand on”
LOL – works everytime ;)
Interesting post, Tristan. I often advise clients to only post relevant comments that contribute to the discussion. I ‘stumbled upon’ your site and I have to tell you I might just have to rethink this through after what I’ve just read :)
I easily take about 5-10 minutes to comment on most. It is a lot lesser if the blog post is related to something I already know. Thank you for the tips. I hope it improves my blog commenting speed.
Speechless with gratitude, ideas galore. Know now three things I need to do: finally figure out RES feeds. Concentrate more on my audience niche. Become a guest blogger. My field is feeling management, but I am now spending heaps of time on non-niche blogs. Like now. Still thank you for what I have learned from you. An old grannykat can learn a few tricks. Keep sharing it makes us all strong. Tweeted this.
Wow, I thought this was a great post, so many tips for me to try out….thanks for the tips in structuring comments, when I first started out it seemed like I hit a brick wall every time, didn’t know what to say, but as you mentioned, there is always something to refer to, or give an opinion about. Have a blessed day,
Amanda
This post is needed at this time RON. I have truly benefited from this post. I never knew how to structure my comments in order to portray meaning and attract traffic for me. I’m going to try out on your advice and hopefully, when it works, I will check back and drop you a THANK YOU NOTE.
Well written article on an important topic. Comments when done well can bring huge traffic, I think you’re right about the structure of comments. I have gained a lot from this post alone. Thank you RON and God bless you
When I do leave comments, I do like to think that I’m adding something to the whole conversation. That said, I completely agree that as a blogger, any comment is better than no comment (excepting spam and “great post”).
For example, this comment…
Not adding much value to the topic but at least you know
1. I have read your post
2. I was interested enough to leave any kind of comment
3. Can’t think of a third but you know what I mean :)
Hi Tristan,
Just stumble your blog on Paul’s One Spoon at a time. This is awesome tips about blog commenting. Preparing a note pad and jot down what you love is a time saver so that you don’t need to pend time to read through the post and find the specific stuff again.
I will cultivate this habit to save me tons of time :)
Cheers,
Ming
Interesting post Tristan!
I fill the same way, as long as the comment comes from a real person who has actually red my post, its a good comment. I appreciate all comments on my blog.
However, one thing I wanna mention is the copy pasting thing from notpad. I know you explained how it should be done the right way, but we do get lazy sometimes and want to speed things up. So, its very important to keep yourself inline and not cross the line where you are basically copy pasting a generic comment on every blog post you read. Its a fine line between spamming and genuinely voicing your opinion on a post.
Hey people I don’t know because I am new at this. Anyway I love to coment and this is the site for me!!
Will one of you please talk to me! :( I feel like an outcast
Tristen,
Thank you for your tips! Commenting on other blogs that are related to one’s Subject Matter is a great way to spread a message, network, and connect with potential colleagues.
Namaste,
Troy
[Whiffs of Bliss]
“The Universal Gravitation Experts”
Awesome tips. Look forward to trying them. Thanks a lot Tristan. ~AL
Cheers man. That’s some great advice.
It took me a while to get into commenting and was very slow in the beginning, but hey, practice is all it takes. It’s also a great way to stimulate your mind.. commenting makes you think about your own opinions and attitudes. It’s great and I find it a lot of fun.
Just discovered your blog by the way, and well done, great work!
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I hope you realize that i am not advocating not reading a blog post or spamming blogs with comments on the other hand reading comments could give you an idea of what to say if you are at a loss for words.I am one of those who spends more time writing the comment than I do reading the original post.
Every comment is valuable because it buoys up the self esteem and confidence of the blogger.
Incredible!!! Even one on mine would make my day…
Blog commenting is the best way to get some useful links for the site. The most important thing in blog commenting is that how you make comment on any blog post. As latha stated here, every comment is valuable.. and you need to be careful while you go for commenting on blogs so fast.
Sometimes when it is hard for me to make a comment because I don’t really know much about the topic, I just ask sincere questions.
I have found blog commenting to be a valuable process for getting traffic to my websites. You continue to provide great information about gaining traffic.
Tristan,
Firstly I liked your model so much that I’ve created a visual representation about it, see below.
I never imagined or thought I’d ever see a model for commenting. This is an eye opener. You’ve provided something of real value here, most often than not, one doesn’t really know how to provide the necessary appreciation to an article/blog post one might have read. This way the author gets to know exactly why I the commenter liked the post, compared to the grateful but non-informative thank you note.
Also, your commenting secret weapon, I totally like that bit, especially as I too tend to forget what thoughts came to my mind while reading a particular paragraph.
One thing which I often find is that when I have something meaningful to add beyond what the author has written about, I typically find that my comment becomes material for my own blog post.
Lastly, I land up creating a visual of a post I like This helps me understand and remember it in much more detail and and usually becomes material for my own blog. . You can see the visual I’ve made for your 4 step model here… http://vizcraft.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/a-model-for-providing-meaningful-comments-fast/
Hey Tristan,
This was just the article I needed to read at the right time. I’ve been in my own little “infobubble” lately working on my own content, programs, etc. and not out here in the world reading other blogs much less commenting on them. You’ve inspired me – not only to comment but to comment a lot. There are some karmic principles involved in supporting others online which I hadn’t been putting into practice on a regular basis. I’ll be visiting again:)
-Lisa
Love this idea of yours Tristan,
However I don’t think I can be as fast as you are describing it takes to either write or being copying and pasting ideas in order to just create a great comment in the end.
I did like the idea of separating your comment into four steps and that really could help me in my future comments.
I’m going to read a few of your other posts and see how it goes, thanks again Tristan and looking forward to learn more from you man.
Sergio
PS. This comment took several minutes to complete… LOL
Yes, Yes, Yes & Yes. I’m enjoying your posts; they are so helpful to me.
Thanks for this! I’ve been bummed about my blog stats lately, and I know it’s because I don’t comment nearly enough (or at all). I really did subscribe to the idea that my comment has to add value, but now that I think of it, most comments don’t. This post is just the kick in the butt that I need to get out and get commenting more.
I will agree that post was awesome, and I do need to comment more, it helps everyone all the way around right? I would say I need to amp up my blog reading! Thanks again!
I love the fact that you are making me look like a normal person. Yes, doing 150 blog comments a day is possible. If you can do just 12 comments per hour and devote 9 hours to it. You can achieve the same feat by doing 15 comments per hour (You’ll need just 7 hours). Do 20 per hour and you’ll need just 5 hours.
How can you do it without getting fatigued easily? Open a notepad like you suggested and don’t bother reading through the entire article or apply speed-reading techniques of skimming or just running through headlines and subheadings. Also,increase your typing speed — It helps!
I guess I’ll be hanging around you a lot more — I am currently on a “1000 guest posts in 90 days” challenge and I need all the super-productivity advice I can get to add to my arsenal.
Hi Tristan, thank you for sharing your commenting tips. In my case commenting on blogs are taking forever! Will definitely try your easy to follow instructions and see if I can push myself to leave more comments.
Hey Tristan,
I’ve only read 2 of your posts, and they’ve made me want to consume every other one. I love you you cut to the chase with an action plan for the real world.
I love how you systematized a time-consuming task. I’ve passed up opportunities to comment because I didn’t feel I would “add” to the conversation. You’re right – on my blog, I’d be happy with 100 comments that came from using your formula.
Thoughtful technique, and a thoughtful post. Looking forward to reading more!
(How was that?) :P
It’s amazing how typos can make you say inappropriate and crazy things…
What I meant was, “I love HOW you …”
Some really great ________ ideas here Tristan. (fill in blank with post topic). I especially liked the idea about ______. (fill in blank echoing some of your points in my own words). Then maybe add a couple reworded points from other comments on post. Very simple formula.
You can also go to yahoo answers and reword questions on the same topic as comments. I also repeat insights I’ve made elsewhere if it’s relevant. You can even comment on the comments preferably in an agreeable fashion. After a while you don’t really need these tricks, you sort of learn the gift of commenting gab.
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